Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-04-02
! 10 per cent. more than they have received
| for their crops in several years.

| damage where they did exist. Jasper
| Compton. however, informs us that they
have destroyed pretty nearly all the grain
| on a half.section of land he has rented on
| the Williams road. They have not hurt
| his home place. We learn on further in
| curing that they are doing some consider
| able damage on some adobe land in other
| localities Captain Ash says they are in
| turing some of his grain on adobe land
west of Berlin We hope the damage may
| be slight. We have seen great numbers OF
| crickets on adobe land for years-almost
every year-but this is the first time We
! have heard of their doing any damage
Another argument in favor of irrigation
| if they had water the crickets could be
drowned out-C0t,tSd San, March 10Th.
SUFFOLK SHEEP.
The Suffolk is the most recently formed
breed of English sheep, having originated
somewhat over a half century ago by
crossing Southdown rams on Norfolk
horned, black faced ewes. In East Suf-
| folk. especially along the sea coast, there
are large tracts of hard walks " and
heaths, on which many of these sheer
have been pastured for years, and where
| they have had to travel miles in day &c
get belly full, returning to the folds on
arabic lands at night. The old Norfolk
sheep had long horns and short, close
wool, often with gray spots, and tail. Il
was generally bare-bellied, and so active
that it took at least four years to get the
produce fit for the table; but, when ripe
| the mutton was priced more highly than
that of any other breed, being preferred by
many to venison.
The ewes were wonderful mixers, Civ
ing, we are told, as much milk as Jer-
sey cow" and breeding litters at any
rate, three lambs often came and foul
were not uncommon BY judgment, care
and attention, the valuable qualities o.
| these sheep have been maintained
namely, the excellence of their mutton
the activity, hardness and motherly pro,
pensities of the females, with close wool
black, shiny faces and bright, full eyes
but instead of taking four years to fatteni
the progeny are now slaughtered at nine to
ten months. Thousands of Suffolk rams
are annually disposed of at Newmarket
and Ipswich fairs, and at auction sales IN
smaller towns in the country. Ram lambs
bring an average of 95, f6 or 97 head
while as much as 921, f31 los, e42 and
452 los. have been paid for the best speci-
mems.
In the present breed the head is hornless;
face black and long ears medium, black
and of fine texture eyes bright and full
neck moderate; shoulder broad and OBJ
lique; chest deep and wide; back and loins
long, level and well covered with meat and
muscle; tail broad and well set up ribs
long and well sprung, with full flank
legs and feet straight, with fine, flat bones
wool to the knees and hooks, clean below
fore-legs well apart hind-legs well filled
with mutton; belly we'll covered with
wool fleece moderately short, with close,
fine, lustrous fiber, without tendency to
mat or felt together, not shading off into
dark wool or hair; skin fine, soft and OF a
pink color.
The Suffolk Sheep Society, which has
been established several years, has just
commenced TO register rams. 1t has started
novel idea by giving challenge cups for
the best focks. The Garrett challenge
cup, value f25, was offered the other day
for the best flock consisting of $50 or more
Suffolk-breeding ewes, together with all the
rams used in the flock. The Suffolk Agri-
cultural Society offers annual premiums
to the shepherds who have been most sue
cessful in caring for their aocks during the
year, and from the records of the society,
it is evident that the fecundity of the fe-
males is still remarkable, for ratio of 150
lambs to 100 ewes is frequently shown.
Here are some specimens
PREMIUMS TO SHEPHERDS, 1Ssi-1SS5.
No. 1.............6SO lambs reared from 400 ewes.
No. lambs reared from $40 ewes
No. S........ ....30i lambs reared from 205 ewes.
OF late this breed is making rapid strides
in popular favor in England. During the
recent depression there, the value of Suf-
folks to the butchers, according to the Lon
don Lite Stock Journal, has fallen less than
any other breed, so famous is the mutton,
which has a popularity arising chiefly from
its intrinsic value to the consumer and the
butcher. We do not know of any impor-
tations of the breed into this country; but
now that it is +" booming" somewhat across
the water, some are pretty certain to be
found ere long on this side of the Atlantic
Rural Ne1U Yorker.
THE RUINoUs RABBITS.
The Adelaide Observer of February 10th
has a telegram from Sydney stating that
the contractor for the erection of rabbit
prooffence between Narromine and Bourke
had only twenty-five miles of fencing to
finish, and was expecting to complete his
contract in about a fortnight. Signs of rab
bits have been found in several places
northward of the fence, and it was feared
that the erection of the barrier had been
too long delayed, and that additional fenc-
ing will have to be erected on an extensive
scale, in order to check their advance north
ward and eastward. Great numbers of
rabbits are being DESTROYED in the south
western pastoral country, not less than
700 having been killed on one station
during the last quarter of 1886. Those I'M
informed persons who were inclined to
sneer at the alarm caused few weeks ago
by the threatened importation of twenty
Australian rabbits may draw their own in
ferences as to the utility of giving these
animals foothold in California. Pacific
Rural Press.
GENERAL NOTES.
The demand for olive trees this season
has been largely above the supply, says the
San Jose Times.
The Grange Fire Insurance Company of
Massachusetts is said to be an assured sue
cess. 1t will start with over 100000 of
insurance on the property of Patrons only.
An attempt TO infuse new vigor into the
degenerating potato by crossing the cult
waited varieties with the wild plant has
been for two or three seasons in progress
at Reading, Eng, and has proven very sue
cessful thus far. The hybrid plants pro-
duce good yield of tubers of excellent
form and quality.
The prospects for large crop of fruit is
excellent, says the Wheatland Graphic, as
no damage is known to have occurred to
any of the fruit trees in this vicinity.
Cherries will soon be ripe, and the chances
are that Yuba will be the first in the field
with fruit this season. The peach crop,
which was failure in these parts last year,
gives promise of being unusually large.
Pears viii also be abundant, and as apples
are always plentiful, we will have all the
fruit needed for our own use, and good
deal to spare.
AFTER THE BABY CAME.